Pope John Paul has named a a new cardinal to oversee the Archdiocese of Milan. The Vatican said in a statement yesterday that Dionigi Tettamanzi, 68, is to replace Carlo Maria Martini as archbishop of Milan who, at 75, is reaching retirement age. With some five million Catholics in more than a thousand parishes, Milan is one of the largest archdiocese in the world. The move is an unusual one. Tettamanzi is currently cardinal in the northern city of Genoa and it is the first time in recent history that a Pope has transferred a cardinal from one Italian diocese to another. Many commentators throughout Italy see the appointment as one which makes Tettamanzi a more likely candidate for the papacy. The daily, La Stampa newspaper said: "Tettamanzi is in pole position among the Italian candidates to take on the future heavy inheritance of John Paul II." The cardinal was criticised last year by some politicians for backing anti-globalisation protesters at a G8 summit of world leaders in Genoa. But he is viewed in the Vatican as a moderate who could mediate between liberals and conservatives. The outgoing cardinal of Milan, Martini, was very popular with liberal Catholics.